Rajaka community stage protest in Visakhapatnam to get SC status

Members of the Andhra Pradesh Rajaka SC Sadhana Basic Committee staged a protest at the Gandhi statue near the GVMC office in Visakhapatnam on Monday. | Photo credit: IN PARADISE

Members of the Rajaka community staged a protest at the Gandhi statue near the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation office in Visakhapatnam on Monday, demanding inclusion of the community in the list of scheduled castes.

Organized by the Andhra Pradesh Rajaka SC Sadhana Committee, the protesters called on the government to fulfill the promises made by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu before the elections. The committee said Rajakas figure in the SC list in 18 states and three union territories.

They demanded SC enlistment commission, pension at 50 and enlistment protection law. Other demands were 250 units of free power, ownership rights to tanks for the community’s traditional occupation, and ₹250 million in the annual budget for the Rajaka Federation for subsidized loans. The committee sought ₹50 crore for new dhobi ghats, their repairs and protection of their sites, dhobi posts in hospitals and the police department, and subsidized loans of ₹10,000 for unemployed youth.

K. Satyanarayana, a member of the core committee, said, “About 500 people from the Rajaka community of Visakhapatnam district participated in the protest. The main committee presidents from all over Andhra Pradesh came together to organize today’s protest. We have been fighting for our rights for decades. There are promises before every election, but they have never been fulfilled. In May, we started nine meetings around Pradesh which we organized in May. Eluru, Dachepalli, Chittoor, Anakapalli, Rajamahendravaram and Madanapalle we will continue our agitation in other districts as well.

Published – 5 Oct 2026 23:41 IST